Car truck bolster



y 26, 1936 c. w. SHE RMAN 2,042,129

CAR TRUCK BOLSTER Filed Dec. 31, I930 Patented May 26, 1936 PATENT OFFICE CAR TRUCK BOLSTER Clifton W. Sherman, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada,

assignor to Adirondack Steel Foundries Corporation, Watervliet,

New York N. Y., a corporation of Application December 31, 1930, Serial No. 505,837

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a car track bolster which is made of cast steel and of the character which provides a double truss lengthwise of the bolster.

The object of this invention is to eliminate or at least minimize the formation of T-sections in different parts of the casting, also to avoid foundry defects and to materially strengthen the bolster as a whole and still provide the necessary openings or windows in the same for the passage of the shifting rods which form part of the brake rigging associated with the car truck.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cast steel car bolster embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same taken on line 2-2 Fig. 3.

Figure 3 is atop plan view of the bolster.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view thereof.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5-5 Fig. 2.

Figures 6, '7, and 8 are vertical cross sections taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 2.

In the following description similar characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawing:

The numerals l0, l represent the two longitudinal upright side plates or walls of the bolster, 30 each of which is comparatively high or wide at the center and tapers or gradually reduces from this high central part toward the opposite ends of the wall where the same is relatively low or narrow, so that the bolster as a whole approximates the form of those now in general use.

The numeral l represents the top wall or upper plate of the bolster which connects the upper edges of the side plates l0, and I2 represents the lower wall or bottom plate which connects the lower longitudinal edges of the side plates.

On its upper side the top plate is provided with the usual center bearing I3 in which the body of the car is pivotally supported so that the truck and body are capable of turning horizontally with reference to each other.

The bottom plate of the bolster is provided centrally with an oblong opening l4 corresponding in length to the wide central parts of the side plates i0 and preferably terminating at its opposite ends I in round form, as shown in Fig. 4.

Within the central part of the hollow body of the bolster thus formed by the side, top and bottom plates is arranged a tubular upright post, strut or reinforcement which is of oblong form extending lengthwise of the bolster and comprises two upright longitudinal walls l6 and two transverse walls I! of curved form which connect the corresponding ends of the longitudinal walls l6, as shown in Fig. 5. l The upper ends of the walls of this reinforcement or strut are connected with the top plate I I and the lower ends of the same are connected with the bottom-plate l2 around the edge of the lower opening it therein so that this tube forms an upright well within the bolster which is closed at the top excepting for the pivot opening l8 of the center bearing, while the lower end of this well is open across the entire area of this tubular strut.

The central parts of the side walls of this tubular strut are connected with each other by means of a horizontal transverse web or brace l9 which is preferably flat in cross section with its flat sides arranged horizontally.

- On opposite sides of the central part of each side plate of the bolster body the same is provided with two openings 20 which are preferably elongated vertically and on its inner side each of these side plates is provided around the respective opening 20 with reinforcing ribs or beads 2|. On opposite sides of the center of each of the side walls of the tubular strut the same is provided with openings 22 which are preferably elongated vertically and on the outer side of each of these walls the same is provided with strengthening ribs or beads 23 extending around the edges of the respective openings 22.

The openings 20 in the side plates of the bolster body and the companion openings 22 in the side walls of the tubular strut are arranged in line with each other transversely of the bolster so that they form passages or clearance spaces for the reception of the longitudinal brake rods of the brake mechanism associated with the car truck.

All the foregoing parts are cast integrally of steel and produce a structure which retains the advantage of a double truss but virtually eliminates T-sections and therefore shrinkage defects usually incident to T-sections which are made of cast metal. bolster is such that the same is materially strengthened due to the provision of four walls extending lengthwise of the bolster in the central part thereof, which construction permits of the formation of the openings in these walls for the passage of the brake rigging rods without weakening the load-carrying capacity of the truck.

It is to be noted that in this construction there are no cored holes through the sections at the Moreover the organization of this center of the bolster at which point the same is subjected to the greatest stress, thereby increasing the strength of the vertical members in the bolster and still permitting the formation of holes in the bolster side walls on opposite sides of the central part of the same for the passage of the usual brake rods. It is, of course, understood that in the completed form of this bolster the same is associated with side frames upon which opposite ends of the bolster is mounted by means of intermediate spring suspension devices, and this bolster is also provided with means for attaching parts of the brake rigging thereto, for example the lug or bracket 24 which is shown in the present case arranged on one of the upright side plates It) so that the same serves as a means for pivoting the brake lever to this bolster. Y

The construction of this bolster is such that the same can be produced economically by the use of simple cores and when cast the metal is of substantially uniform thickness throughout so that shrinkage strains are reduced to a minimum.

I claim as my invention:

1. A bolster for car trucks comprising two vertical longitudinal side plates, 3. horizontal bottom plate connecting the lower edges of said side plates, a horizontal top plate connecting the upper edges of said side plates, and a longitudinally elongated upright tube connected at its upper and lower ends with said top and bottom plates, said tube forming an upright well which is open across its entire area at the lower end.

2. A bolster for car trucks having two outer longitudinal side walls, a top connecting the upper edges of the outer side walls, a bottom connecting the lower edges of the outer side walls, two inner longitudinal side walls arranged along the inner sides of the outer sides and parallel therewith and connected at their upper and lower ends with said top and bottom, and two upright end walls connecting the corresponding vertical ends of said inner side walls and also connected with said top and bottom, said inner side and end walls forming an upright elongated well or tube which is substantially closed at its upper end and open across its entire area at the lower end thereof.

3. A bolster for car trucks having two outer longitudinal side walls, a top connecting the upper edges of the outer side walls, a bottom connecting the lower edges of the outer side walls, two inner longitudinal side walls arranged along the inner sides of the outer sides and parallel therewith and connected at their upper and lower ends with said top and bottom, and two upright end walls connecting the corresponding vertical ends of said inner side walls and also connected with said top and bottom, said inner side .and end walls forming an upright elongated well or tube which is substantially closed at its upper end and open across its entire area at the lower end thereof, thereby avoiding T-sections in the lower or tension part of the bolster.

4. A bolster for car trucks having two outer longitudinal side walls, a top connecting the upper edges of the outer side walls, a bottom connecting the lower edges of the outer side walls, two inner longitudinal side walls arranged along the inner sides of the outer sides and parallel therewith and connected at their upper and lower ends with said top and bottom, two upright end walls connecting the corresponding vertical ends of said inner side walls and also connected with said top and bottom, said inner side and end walls forming an upright elongated well or tube which is substantially closed at its upper end and open across its entire area at the lower end thereof, and a center bearing formed on said top over said inner and outer side walls and connected therewith.

CLIFTON W. SHERMAN. 

